Historical story

Faithfulness to the crown. 5 amazing English queens

Despite personal problems, men usurping their position, and finally - the hardships of conducting politics - the English queens continued at their post, coping with crises better or worse. Do you know them all?

The role of the English monarchy (or later, from 1707 - the British one) has changed throughout history. Currently, the function of the ruler on the islands is symbolic:he has the right to give advice and view the state's policy, but he cannot express his views. The British monarch is also the head of the Anglican Church, but is most often associated with his representation duties.

In season three of The Crown, produced by the Netflix streaming platform, the Queen hears from her sister in response to her fears:

It'll start falling apart if we admit it. This is what monarchy is all about. We mask the problems. If we operate with the right pump and confidence, no one will notice that everything is falling apart.

Four of these monarchs ruled alone - including three as queens of Great Britain. One of them received the title through marriage. As a royal wife, she performed her duties brilliantly, surpassing her husband in many ways. Each of them was faithful to the crown, often putting royal duties over private happiness.

5. Charlotte of Mecklenburg - Marie Antoinette's friend

She remained faithfully at the side of her husband, whose reign was shadowed by illness. Zofia Charlotta of Mecklenburg-Strelitz married King George III on September 8, 1761. She went down in history as a patron of culture and art (she supported Johann Sebastian Bach, and in 1764 she was a guest at the court of Mozart). She was also a philanthropist queen, helping to create London orphanages and hospitals. She also discreetly tried to influence her husband's policies - she was vividly interested in, for example, the war of the Bavarian Succession, fought in the years 1778–1779. When her husband's illness worsened, she tried to take the best care of him. It was difficult, however, as George III, suffering from porphyria, was aggressive towards his caring wife.

Charlotte had a close relationship with Marie Antoinette, but they never met in person.

She had a correspondence with Marie Antoinette - upon hearing about the situation in France, she even prepared apartments so that the French queen could take refuge in England . As you know, Marie Antoinette never reached this shelter, but Charlotte herself was shocked when she heard about the execution of her friend by correspondence. She outlived her by twenty-five years - she died in 1818.

4. Anna Stuart - "my heart is completely English"

Despite the tragic personal history - numerous miscarriages and deaths of children - Anna tried to control the situation in the country. She must have realized that this was not what England was expecting - after all, she was sick and infirm . However, already during the coronation in 1702, she emphasized that her "Heart is entirely English", while referring to the origin of her predecessor (William III of Orange, her sister's husband) on the English throne.

During her reign, the English trade expansion on the continent and colonies took place. It is also a period of intensified English politics in Europe (for example in the war for the Spanish Succession). The "Era of Queen Anne" is also a time of development of political literature and magazines. For example, Aleksander Pope is making his debut.

Anna Stuart

The Queen managed to normalize her relations with Scotland - in 1707 the Act of Union was announced, which united the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland. Thus, Anna went down in history as the first ruler of Great Britain . Interestingly, he is also the last ruler to exercise the right of veto on the policy on the island (after which the right of veto was still used against the colonies). In 1708, she vetoed the "Act to Establish the Militia in the Part of Britain known as Scotland", the purpose of which was to restore the Scottish militia. The bill passed through the House of Commons and the House of Lords, but Anna opposed the idea when she learned that a French invasion was headed towards Scotland. She then decided that the restored militia would certainly support the French troops.

However, her friendship with Sarah Churchill, wife of the Duke of Marlborough, did not make her popular. For many years the favorite has manipulated the queen for the benefit of herself and her husband . Anna said "enough" only in 1711, and the story of this relationship became the basis for the film "The Favorite".

3. Elizabeth II - life for the community

It is difficult to list the most important events that Elizabeth II witnessed as the head of state. When she ascended the throne, she was already liked by the British - she earned it by working during World War II while serving in the Women's Auxiliary Territorial Service.

She spends three hours a day studying documents sent to her from ministries and other administrative institutions. The prime ministers who had the chance to cooperate with her (and there were fourteen of them so far!) Unanimously emphasize her excellent orientation in political matters. She has appointed prime minister three times during constitutional crises - Harold Macmillan (1957), Alec Douglas-Home (1963) and Harold Wilson (1974). While the British colonial empire coincided with her reign, Elizabeth II helped the monarchy survive - moreover, the decay happened almost peacefully. In 1947 she declared in her speech in Cape Town:

I declare to all of you that I will devote my entire life, whatever it may be, long or short, to the service of you and the great imperial community of which we all belong.

Despite the collapse of the colonial empire, Elizabeth still heads the Commonwealth realm, with each Commonwealth prime minister being an advisor to the queen.

Queen Elizabeth and President Reagan

Although the repeated accusation against the British monarchy was its excessive cost of living, in the time of Elizabeth, the Crown became a quite profitable enterprise, and modern experts calculate that the profits of this "company" reach up to 535 million pounds. The reigning queen - also thanks to the activities of her husband, children and grandchildren - thus introduced the British monarchy into the 21st century.

The crown is more important to Elizabeth than safety - she has at times disregarded warnings when required by her duties. This was the case in 1961 in Ghana, when she was ordered to keep an appropriate distance from President Kwame Nkrumah, who had been threatened with attacks. Her reign inspired Netflix to produce the series The Crown , dedicated to the British monarchy in the second half of the 20th century.

2. Victoria Hanoverka - not that poor queen at all…

It is difficult to be a queen if you are only eighteen to enter the throne. J even more difficult - when your mother and her favorite are trying to manipulate you. This is precisely the situation in which Wiktoria Hanoverka found herself, in whom little hopes were placed. They feared the queen, who had been brought up in solitary confinement, away from the British court. Thomas Carlyle, a Scottish writer and historian, was to write about her: "Poor little queen! She is at an age when a girl can barely choose a hat, and here are tasks that would make the archangel backward ... "

And yet - it rose to the occasion. She collaborated with successive prime ministers, she was interested in the affairs of the colony and the economic development that happened during her reign. The climax was when she was crowned Empress of India in 1877. When she heard about the famine in Ireland, she used her own treasury to allocate money to the starving . She was the first British monarch to travel by rail, and during her reign ... postage stamps were also introduced. She is called the "grandmother of Europe" - her descendants sit on the thrones, among others Spain, Norway, Sweden and Denmark. She has become a symbol of the era that takes her name from. When she died in 1901, the Times wrote:“The empire grieves over its irreparable loss. Our beloved queen, bowed under the weight of years and honors, has gone to eternal rest. "

1. Elizabeth I - "I rule over my own and rule as a righteous ruler"

It was during her reign that England became a world power, and history gave her the nickname "The Great." Elizabeth I strengthened the power of the Anglican Church (the Act on Supremacy was proclaimed in her time, recognizing Elizabeth as the head of the Anglican Church), expanded the fleet, took care of English trade and commerce (it was then that various types of merchant companies and companies began to emerge - the basis for English commercial expansion, including the East India Company founded in 1600). This in turn led to the development of London, where the port grew and the stock exchange was established in 1568.

The period of her reign (1558-1603) went down in history as the Elizabethan era - one of the greatest periods in the history of England. R was the perfect symbol of that time - she had wide interests, and her knowledge and reading impressed diplomats and scientists. Sociable on the one hand, she was guided by cold calculation in politics. As historian Henryk Zins, author of The History of England emphasized:"She could use waiting tactics in order to gain time, sometimes she used hypocrisy and lies, at other times coquetry, if all this was to serve the interests of English politics."

Elizabeth I

In one of her last speeches in parliament, she was said to have said:“It might be considered as simple-minded that I did not seek to enlarge my estates throughout my reign; because there was an opportunity for me to do it (...). And I must say that it was never my intention to invade my neighbor or take anything for myself. It is enough for me to rule over my own and rule like a just ruler ”